70+ votes for immigration reform?

The two lead negotiators in the Senate’s Gang of Eight said on Thursday that they believe their immigration reform bill will not just have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate — but majority support from both parties.

“I think it is doable,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.

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Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the bill cannot slip by with 60 votes because the House would feel less pressure to take it up. Others in the negotiating group have said they think the bill could win at least 70 Senate votes.

But the predictions of majority support from Republicans and Democrats is a more ambitious goal than any members have previously stated.

He said the Gang of Eight had vote counting in mind while they were negotiating a deal between agricultural workers and growers on a visa program for the industry. Schumer said the group worked hard to win over growers in the Southeast, which is predominantly represented by Republicans and conservative Democrats.

The senators said they support amending the immigration overhaul bill to address shortcomings in the system that led to the Boston Marathon bombings.

It is too early know exactly what needs to be fixed, McCain said, but the potential solutions should be clear by the time the bill reaches the Senate floor in June.

“We are completely open to amendments that would in any way prevent what happened in Boston,” McCain said.

McCain said members of the Gang of Eight remain in contact with key House members. He said he spoke Wednesday with Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to thank him for backing comprehensive immigration reform at an event Monday. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has addressed the Republican Study Committee, McCain said.

But McCain added that the more serious conversations won’t take place until after the Senate passes a specific package.

McCain praised President Barack Obama’s role in the process, with Schumer adding that it has been “just about perfect.”